The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1887-11-29
A DANGEROUS THING
SENT THROUGH THE u. j. MAILS
At WAX Of Destroying Valuable Mall Mat.
ter, u not Human Lives, TO IA Wheeling
Nj who has been tho Victim o fPetty
I'ersGoution-A Cnse for. tho Law.

u iuhN OIL bestfoyiuB -NalunDlo Mail Mat
ter, Il not Human Lives, to u Wheeling
Mnn who has been the Victim of Petty
rerseoution-A Cnse for. tho Law.
Yesterday morning Dr.. O. E. Mason, q
prosperous dentiSt Of this city, received
through the mail at his Office, where /!
was left by n OF the carriers, an in.
geniouely constructed internal machine.
1t was only by the luckieat Of accidents
that the Doctor in opening 1t escaped aeri.
Gus injury and possibly death.
The contslvance was left by the carrier
on tho 0 o'clock delivery, and 10 soon 90
the Doctor found @ moment to upars no
proceeded to open It and his other mail.
In pize the package Wal about q inchcu
long, II iDchen wide aud an inch thick,
1t wan neatly done up in brown wrapping
paper and twine. The address was 20. T..
Mason, Dentiat, No. 1905 Market st."
This was part Of his advertisement In one
OF the papers, cut out and pasted on. It
had been mailed in tho city.
Aa loon as DR.. Mason noticed the
direction he became Suspicious, and with
good reason, au will ba shown further GU.
He proceeded to open the package eau.
tious'y.. The wrapping removed, a box
made Of two thicknesseu Of heavy card.
board WAS found. II was such q box as
~jewolors use, and the jewelers. card on
tho lid had been carefully acraped of.
After working cautiously with the thing
the Doctor managed 10 got the lid OF
withou. any damage bsing done. Tbs
box appeared to DO filed with cotton, over
which wss tbickly sprluklel some black
grains. The grains wero first experiment
ed withsnd found to bsa good quality Of
powder. The cotton was then lifted
out. Underneath 1t was found 9 nma!l
but ugly looking brass ehell, a sholl such
as arc used III shot gunB, On one end
was a percussion cap tightly fastened to
n nipple that projected from tho she'll
about One.sixteenth Of an inch. The open
end was closed with q hrass diac fastened
to tho thsll by cold solder; where the con-
nection was made 1t had been carefully
filed down md finished of 60 M to leave
no projection that could afford a chance ia
pry the disc of. In the center OF this
disc was q small hole, and out Of this pro-
jected q short fuse made Of cotton wick
ing and vol oiled It only projected abouI
+ ~one.sixtserth oil m inch.
What the bomb Is loaded with 10 mol
known; it Is certain from it's weight thai
these 10 something in it.
The shell wa0 held in place against onG
side OF the box by wads Of heavy paper
Held in plsce agsinst one end OF tho box,
OIL the ineide, by sealing wax. wa q pieca
Of sand.paper. Attached firmly to tho lid
Of the boz, by scaling wax, wers two par.
Tor matches, pointing downward ut an
angle Of about 80 degrees and 30 adjusted
that their heads pressed hard against the
rand.paper. The fuse end Of the shell
vas toward the sand.paper and matches.
Had the lid beon taken of by pulling a!
tho end whore the sand.paper.was or pull
Ing In the centre, there Is no telling what
the result might have been. There waa
enough powder In the box to make q flash
that wobld have burned ONES hands and
face, ard If the bomb is loaded with any
explosive it would have been certain to
explode under thoae couditione.
itAASAtClJ lOA tAD OoCtUA, WuUt 65
stated, was suspicious, he worked care
fully and lifted the lid at tbs end where
thero vas NJ slnd.paper. This drew the
matches away from tho paper.
The news Of this occurrence getting out,
spread rapidly, and the Doctor wss called
or by q number Of his friends, who COZ.
graduated him over what seemed 10 have
| been o narrow escape from eone ones
Idevilish malice. 1t ia not thought by tho
Doctor or those who have looked at tina
thing that 1t was intended fer o Joke. 1t
was 6 very serious jest, if such wao the in.
~tentlon, for the combination Of matches
and powder wac sufficiently etrong TO
cause diaagressble effects. Ths wonder
is that 1t was not exploded while being
stamped and handled by the postofice
authorities. DR.. Mason will hand the 81.
fair ever 10 the posto lice authorities for
an investigation, and 1t III hoped thst tho
sender will DO found and dealt with as hc
deeervea 10 be.
The receipt OF this machine is the
climax Of a Eeries OF attempts made by
some anonymous person here in the city
to annoy the Doctor. April 16, 1854, was
fine, date OF the frat Of these. 1t was a
letter, that also came through tho mail,
aboundipgin disgusting vulgsrity, obscen-
lity and abuse. Tbs envelope was direct.
ed In the Bame manner aa the machine
his advertisement cut out Of @ newspaper
and pasted on, while in the upper lett
hand corner were pasted the printed
words, "rooth Carpenter"
This letter Was received coon after the
Doctor came here. Two years aso q SINH
lar letter was received. Abou. nine
months ago there camo ono that was half
written, hall printed. with u pen, includ-
ing the direction or the envelope. It was
also full Of abuse and ,vulgafity. The
Doctor was informed that had people
known who and what he was when he
fret came here, he would not have bosn
received in society, in business circles, In
secret orders, nor in the Commanders
of the knights Templar; but that it
was not yet too late to rid the town Of
him, and unless he was not sooner found
out, the time was not far distant when ne
would be run out; that o person named
(also q dentist) wouldsoon take the roome
occupied by DR.. Morrison (another dem
fist IN the same floor with Dr.. Mason)
aud fix them up g%orgeouBly, and break his
(Mason's) big practice up.
On last St. Valentines Day DR.. Mason
received a number Of chricaturea and one
or two notes, all Of which bore earmarks
Of having come from the came person.
Up TO this time Dr.. Mason has o
noticed these cownrdly attacks; now no
proposes to learn who has been sending
them. He has some suspicious, but will
not tell what they are. Dr.. Mason came
here four years ago. By his courteouo,
genial manners he soon became very pop.
ular both socially and in q business Tsy,
The NJ. Z. niuisters.
The Wheeling NJ. Z. Ministerial ASCOT
alton met in the Y. NJ. @. A. building at 8
o'clock yesterday afternoon, and oponed
with devotional ~uervices led by Rsv.T. E..